A large ball of light that explodes?

Question

My friend recorded this on his camera in the winter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95Bq-yuQtwo

It's shaky and blurry because he was on his porch in the freezing cold, but you can clearly see the moon-sized object he's pointing the camera at. Half way through the video the object just vanishes, as if it exploded or something.

What could it be?

Answer 1

If you were to do some photo editing, as in removing the red reflections which give away the fact that the light is closer than your friend is saying...

I've seen a MUCH better display of the same quality using a staff with light sticks tied to the ends.

Answer 2

It might have been the space station going over. It is moving all over the place because he cannot hold the camera still, as you say. It is getting bigger and smaller because it is going in and out of focus as the auto focus has trouble locking in on the image. And it finally goes completely out of focus. I have done a lot of astrophotograpgy and can easily recognize the appearance of an image going out of focus so completely that you cannot see it at all, and that is what happens half way through the video. It may not have vanished at all, but simply gone completely out of focus. But if he visually saw it vanish in the sky after following it for time time, it was probably the space station going over. The space station just got some new solar panels that make it REALLY bright. It will vanish when it passes into the Earth's shadow, because it shines only by reflected sunlight. Use the source to determine if it was the space station going over. Just pick your city and the tool will tell you when the space station went over. And when it will go over again, so you can look for it next time.

Answer 3

It's a bit simple, it could be anything. A light that soumeone hit, some sort of holographic design that just dispersed as thusly, something from a computer screen or some crap. But you don't want to here what it might be, you jsut want to hear what it is, correct?

Well, since the video is hard to make out, By the movement of of the way it shook it might've been reflected off the surface of water, and the dispersing meaning it might've actually been some light close to earth, thanks to the atmosphere making objects outside of it look white to the naked eye. Could jsut be some light, is all.

Of course, this is just a guess and information just came pouring out of my lower backside. Hoped it helped in the least.

Answer 4

I am surprised at some of the responses. I don't think I could say this is much of anything given the video. could be a plane badly out of focus. could be a satellite, or the moon, or Venus. I am not sure I would say exploded either looks like it just goes out of frame. I would need a much more steady higher res image to say what this could be.

Answer 5

it didn't explode. it was brought to a point way out of focus to where it disappeared yeah and it is shaky because your friend had 4 too many drinks that night.

Answer 6

It looks like some one was waving or shaking the torchlight in weird angles in front of a black background dressed in black

Answer 7

Looks like a childs sparkler.

Answer 8

its a spaceship just lauched of the ground. when it vanishes its what u see the light of booster and when they realesed it the booster is not on fire anymore so its like it vanishes

Answer 9

Ball lightning

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_lightening

Answer 10

Sun Dogs......ice crystals in the upper atmosphere
reflecting / refracting sunlight.



neat , huh?